Victoria Tifft, president and CEO of Clinical Research Management, Inc. (ClinicalRM), founded the company in 1994 to respond to customer needs for clinical research services for two of the nation’s largest federal research laboratories. Through her vision and leadership, ClinicalRM has grown from three employees in 1994 to over 350 today.

Ms. Tifft began her journey in the US Peace Corps in Togo, West Africa in the field of infectious disease control. Her primary tasks included assessing the local population, educating them in the prevention and treatment of local problems and diseases (malaria, dysentery, dehydration, and sanitation), and vaccinating children. She experienced first-hand the devastating conditions that people of third world countries endure. She contracted malaria three times and witnessed the overwhelming effects from infectious diseases. She came back to the US with a commitment to finding treatments for diseases around the globe.

Upon her return, Ms. Tifft served as a biologist for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History and as a manager and coordinator of the Ronald McDonald House. Her service to families with critically ill children solidified Ms. Tifft’s desire to help children and adults through the prevention and curing of many diseases.

Following her work at the Smithsonian, Ms. Tifft recognized the need for a centralized clinical research center. In 1994, she was instrumental in the creation of the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) Clinical Trials Center (CTC) and has worked alongside many military and Government researchers throughout the US Army Medical Research Materiel Command (USAMRMC). ClinicalRM was established because of her unique understanding of the Government’s research culture and mission objectives. The company has been continuously recognized for successfully managing FDA-regulated basic, applied, and clinical research programs for the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Today, ClinicalRM is a full service Contract Research Organization (CRO) that supports the entire product life-cycle development of FDA-regulated biologics, pharmaceuticals, and medical devices. The research projects that ClinicalRM supports touch the lives of our service members and their families, as well as millions of citizens around the globe. The firm is especially proud of its efforts in the field of research and the dedication to finding cures for malaria and other infectious diseases. ClinicalRM has expertise in a wide range of infectious diseases, antibiotic resistance, wound infection, and disease surveillance. The ClinicalRM team is also on the forefront of leading technologies addressing traumatic brain injury (TBI), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), mental health, stem cell, and regenerative medicine.

Ms. Tifft leads her team by remaining steadfast in her philosophy to “Do the Right Thing” for her customers, staff, and community. This philosophy reflects her personal commitment to conducting business with integrity, flexibility, responsibility, value, and commitment to excellence.

She is also committed to expanding the bioscience industry. She is proactively developing affiliations and partnerships with other institutions to expand the bioscience business opportunities in our region.

Ms. Tifft established the Make a Difference Charitable program, whose goals are to make a difference by promoting education in science through scientific grants (with support of our Warfighters and their families) and to support our global community.

Ms. Tifft graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Biology from the University of Akron, completed her graduate studies in Parasitology, and earned her MBA from Case Western Reserve University, Weatherhead School of Management (CWRU).

Ms. Tifft and ClinicalRM have been recognized for several awards during their 18 years. In 2012, Ms. Tifft was awarded the National Small Business Person of the Year and the Ohio State Small Business Person of the Year, both by the US Small Business Administration. She has also been awarded the Women of Note by Crain’s Cleveland Business, Crain’s Leading EDGE Award by The Entrepreneurs EDGE, and the Top Ten Women Business Owners of Northeast Ohio by the National Association of Women Business Owners.